Uncategorized
This Week’s Teamster News for March 18-24
TEAMSTERS
Airline
Teamsters Sound Alarm at NetJets Teamster.org …The Teamsters Airline Division and Teamsters Local 284 are concerned that NetJets management is ignoring a growing shortage of qualified aircraft mechanics to the detriment of customers, workers and the business itself. “Senior aircraft technicians are telling NetJets management that they need more NetJets mechanics in the field, but management is ignoring their advice,” said Chris Moore, Chairman of the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition…
Air Inuit: New Collective Agreement After Two Years of Talks Teamsters Canada …The roughly 160 pilots and flight attendants employed by Air Inuit ratified a new collective agreement that guarantees industrial peace with the air carrier until 2023. Non-monetary and monetary clauses will be enhanced in the new contract. Teamsters Local Union 1999 has represented Air Inuit workers since 1996. Negotiations, which began in 2015, were not without snags. Management proposals were rejected by Teamsters members twice before being ratified on March 7…
XPO
Dockworkers at XPO in Aurora, Illinois Seek Teamster Representation Teamster.org …Dockworkers at XPO Logistics in Aurora, Ill. filed for Teamster representation today, the latest action by workers across the U.S. who are banding together to fight for fair treatment at one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the world. The 43 dockworkers at the former Con-way Freight are planning to join the freight workers in Aurora who formed their union as Teamsters last year…
Drivers at XPO in Elgin, Illinois Seek Teamster Representation Teamster.org …Drivers at XPO Logistics in Elgin, Ill. filed for Teamster representation today, the latest action by workers across the U.S. who are banding together to fight for fair treatment at one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the world. The drivers at the former Con-way Freight are planning to join the freight drivers in Aurora, Ill. who formed their union as Teamsters last year…
Gig Economy
Lyft Drivers Win $27 Million Settlement After Teamsters Seek Greater Award Teamster.org …A federal judge has approved a $27 million monetary settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Lyft, after Teamsters and Lyft drivers filed legal objections to a preliminary settlement of $12.5 million, calling it “insufficient.” The objections were filed by the Uber Lyft Teamsters Rideshare Alliance (ULTRA), Teamsters Joint Council 7 and Teamsters Joint Council 42 to a preliminary settlement in the case in March 2016…
Court Upholds Seattle Ordinance Rules Allowing Uber Union Vote Wall Street Journal …The company is squaring off against the Teamsters labor union, which has begun petitioning Uber and Lyft for driver contact information so they can begin organizing in earnest in the coming weeks. The union says it is necessary for drivers to petition Uber for changes to wages and benefits. Some 10,000 Uber drivers work in the Seattle area.
UPS
Wheels to Work: UPS Teamsters Pitch In For Coworker in Need Teamster.org …Teamsters are known for having each other’s backs. That’s especially true of UPS members in Alabama who did something incredible for a struggling coworker. At 19-years-old, Derrick Taylor is a prime example of a hardworking young man who puts others before himself. Since age 13 he has held jobs to support his family and his ailing mother. The part-time package handler and member of Teamsters Local 612 in Birmingham started working at the UPS facility in Anniston, Ala. about a year ago…
Locals
Teamsters Ratify Agreement at US Foods Teamster.org … Teamsters Local 120 members at US Foods in Plymouth, Minn., ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement on Sunday that raises the bar for food service agreements across the nation. The new agreement includes significant annual raises, maintenance of benefits and up to $10 per week each year into a health reimbursement account for more than 300 drivers and inside facility workers…
Teamsters Local 688 Warehouse Workers Ratify Contract with Schnuck Markets Local 688 …Teamsters Local 688 announced Monday they have ratified a contract with Schnucks for their warehouse workers. Local 688 members ratified the contract by a vote of 79-16. “After 8 months of boycotting Schnucks, workers score a big win” said Mike Goebel, Local 688 Secretary Treasurer. “Today, we officially lift the boycott of Schnucks”…
U.S. Court of Appeals Preserves Fair Share Fees, Dismisses Right-to-Work Case Teamster.org …The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Tuesday, March 21 protected the right of Teamsters Local 916 to collect fair share fees and dismissed a challenge brought on by the Right-to-Work Coalition. Circuit Judge Richard Posner dismissed the Coalition’s case filed on behalf of Local 916 fair share member Brian Trygg and another worker…
Unions to continue battling for control of Planet Waste carting plant’s drivers as labor board blocks election Daily News …The National Labor Relations Board on Friday issued an order to block an upcoming election at a Queens carting plant that’s been the subject of an intense battle between two unions. Planet Waste in Maspeth has been a Teamsters Local 813 shop since 2006 — but on Feb. 22, a rival organization that calls itself the League of International Federated Employees filed a petition with the NLRB seeking to take over representation…
Members of QCD Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize a Strike Local 117 …Bargaining is heating up at QCD and our members are not standing down. Members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after an update meeting yesterday at the Union hall in Tukwila. “Our bargaining team has made a good faith effort to reach an agreement, but QCD continues to subvert industry standards and the company is failing to recognize the valuable contributions of its employees,” said John Scearcy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117…
Seventy-One Correctional Specialists Just Became Teamsters Local 117 …Another group at the state’s Department of Corrections has joined Teamsters 117. Seventy-one Correctional Specialist 2s were certified as Teamsters on Tuesday, March 7 by the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). That makes five DOC groups that have joined the local or are awaiting PERC certification since December…
Animal control workers hold one-day strike; want ability to appeal performance evaluations KTVU …A one-day strike by unionized animal control officers at the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo County started this morning at the society’s animal shelter in Burlingame, a Teamsters Local Union 856 spokesman said. Picketers were gathered in front of the public entrance to the Lantos Center on Edwards Road, union spokesman Tim Jenkins said…
Teamsters Local 251 Contract Approved by Fall River City Council Teamster.org …Teamsters Local 251 is pleased to announce that the Fall River City Council has approved, by an 8-1 vote, a collective bargaining agreement for the city’s Department of Community Maintenance (DCM) workers. The agreement was approved after an outcry by Teamsters Local 251, workers and the public over a stalled process…
Legislative Advocacy & Regulations
Hall Tells SEC to Move on CEO Pay Ratio Rule Teamster.org …Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to quickly implement a rule requiring the disclosure of CEO-to-worker pay ratios at public companies as adopted by the agency in 2015. In a letter sent to SEC Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar this week, Hall said any further delays in implementing the CEO-to-worker pay ratio are “unwarranted”…
California business groups take on Teamsters in pot battle in Legislature SacBee …Business groups, unions and others with a hand in the industry want to shape the laws. The Teamsters in particular have been advocating for a mandatory independent distribution model that would force growers and manufacturers to pay a third-party distributor to transport products to retail market, similar to the alcohol industry…
Teamsters fight back against ‘right-to-work’ People’s World …The Teamsters are planning to mobilize and campaign against right-to-work laws (RTW), both on the federal level and in western states, the Southern California Teamster reports. To make sure members know how to contact their lawmakers, the paper has published the names, office suite numbers in D.C., and phone numbers of every single U.S. representative in Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona…
IBT Leadership
Hoffa-Hall, General Executive Board, Begin Five-Year Term Teamster.org …International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall, 22 International Vice Presidents and three International Trustees were sworn-in today to begin a new five-year term. The International Union officers were elected by a vote of the union’s membership last fall and the election was certified on Feb. 16, 2017. “It’s an honor to represent the members of this great union,” Hoffa said…
GLOBAL LABOR & TRADE
Brazil: massive teachers protest in Buenos Aires challenging austerity measures Merco Press …Tens of thousands of Argentine teachers marched in the capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday as part of a nationwide strike challenging the administration of President Mauricio Macri. Unions for private and public school teachers are demanding a pay increase of 35% to compensate for Argentina’s high inflation in consumer prices…
Chile: workers end 43-day strike at world’s top copper mine DNA …Chilean workers have ended a 43-day strike at the world’s biggest copper mine. The stoppage by some 2,500 workers at the Escondida mine began on February 9 over demands for a bonus payment, a salary increase and other benefits. Workers ended the strike today after negotiations failed with majority owner BHP Billiton Ltd…
UK: Gig economy workers demand basic employment rights with more than 1.3 million people ineligible for sick pay Independent …Hundreds of thousands of workers in the gig economy want guaranteed employment rights such as holiday pay, and say that the Government should take action, a new survey shows. More than 1.3 million people are now working in casual part-time jobs without guaranteed hours or pay if they are sick, research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found…
White House preps formal NAFTA notice Politico …The Trump administration has drafted its notification to Congress saying it intends to renegotiate NAFTA, two House aides told Morning Trade — a formality required before a statutorily mandated 90-day consultation period can begin and a sign that the White House is moving closer to fulfilling its pledge to sit down with Canada and Mexico…
US envoy says US-EU trade deal still alive Yahoo …Negotiations for a mega US-EU trade deal are still alive after they were suspended over elections and public opposition on both sides of the Atlantic, a senior US diplomat said Tuesday. EU officials had feared US President Donald Trump would abandon the four-year talks for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) after he withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership…
TPP can still shape global trade, says ex-US trade chief Asian Review …President Donald Trump may have pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, but the accord may still serve as a guide for future trade agreements, says former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. “It’s possible that the U.S., among other countries, will look to what we agreed to in the TPP as they negotiate or renegotiate other agreements,” Froman said…
Don’t let his trade policy fool you: Trump is a neoliberal (opinion) Washington Post …When one compares neoliberal commandments with Trump’s policy agenda, it is clear that the president is far more neoliberal than his populist rhetoric would suggest. This conclusion will likely surprise his supporters, especially in light of Trump’s assaults on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement…
STATE & LIVING WAGE BATTLES
Republicans In The NH Senate Stick It To Low Income Workers Twice In One Day NH Labor News …In a very busy day in the NH State Senate, Republicans voted on two bills that specifically effect low income families in New Hampshire. They voted on an increase in the minimum wage and a bill to kick thousands off of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also referred to as food stamps. The Senate rejected the minimum wage increase that would have raised the minimum wage to $12 over the next few years…
Puerto Ricans Stage Protests in 7 U.S. Cities Against Austerity Cuts Democracy Now …Puerto Ricans held protests in seven U.S. cities Wednesday demanding an end to austerity measures that have devastated the island territory’s economy. The protests came as a federally appointed oversight control board pressed for sharp cuts to public spending and a strategy to pay the island’s debt to bondholders. In New York, protesters rallied outside the offices of Santander Bank…
City council opposes Ohio House’s ‘right-to-work’ bill USA Today …Mansfield City Council voted unanimously to condemn the Ohio House’s “right-to-work” bill at its meeting Tuesday night. The vote drew cheers from local union representatives and supporters in the audience. “The Ohio House introduced a right-to-work bill that would severely weaken the voice of Ohio’s public employees,” said Dan Mapes, president of AFSCME Local 88…
Trump budget cuts would affect all 7 Ohio Amtrak stations Herald Leader …President Donald Trump’s proposed budget would cut Ohio’s Amtrak passenger train service and seriously disadvantage those who rely on it, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says. The Republican’s budget calls for the elimination of federal subsidies for long distance train routes, which would apply to all seven of the Amtrak stations in Ohio and intercity train service…
Texas Workers Rally for Minimum Wage Increase TWC News …Low wage workers are fighting for Texas to increase its minimum wage. Lawmakers have filed eight bills this session to try to boost the hourly minimum – including increasing it to about $10 or even $15 an hour. The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25 an hour. Repeated efforts to raise it – have so far — fallen flat. But Texas Democrats are once again trying to give low-wage workers a pay raise…
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signs charter schools bill WDRB …Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin has signed a bill allowing charter schools to operate in the state. The signing came on Tuesday, less than a week after the Kentucky Senate and House passed the revised bill. It makes Kentucky the 44th state nationally to allow public charter schools…
U.S. LABOR
AT&T Phone Workers End Strike After 1 Day Fortune …Approximately 17,000 unionized employees in AT&T’s traditional phone business in California and Nevada went back on the job on Thursday after a one-day walk out to protest changing work requirements. The employees, who mostly work as technicians and call center staff and are represented by Communications Workers of America, called a grievance strike in Wednesday after they said the company had forced them to take on new work assignments without collective bargaining…
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Workers Will Strike May 1, Organizers Say BuzzFeed …Almost 350,000 service workers plan to strike on May 1, a traditional day for labor activism across the world, in the most direct attempt yet by organized labor to capture the energy from a resurgent wave of activism across the country since the election of Donald Trump. Tens of thousands of members of a powerful California branch of the Service Employees International Union will participate in the strike…
AFL-CIO leaders say: Support U.S. jobs, boycott Nabisco People’s World …Thanks to backing by the AFL-CIO Executive Council, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), has announced it is doubling down on its call for consumers to protest the Nabisco corporation’s sending American jobs overseas. he BCTGM’s is asking consumers to boycott snack foods made by Nabisco in Mexico. The union represents over 2,000 employees of Mondelez International, the parent company of Nabisco…
Job Cuts Endure at Indiana Factories Despite Trump Pressure NBC …About 1,500 workers at three Indiana factories are facing layoffs despite hopes that President Donald Trump would convince the companies to reverse plans for moving production to Mexico. United Technologies confirmed Friday that the first wave of about 50 layoffs happened last week at its electronics plant that had about 700 workers in Huntington.
Trump proposes $2.5B in Labor cuts The Hill …President Trump plans to slash labor funding by 21 percent. The Labor Department would receive $9.6 billion under the president’s proposed budget released Thursday, which is a $2.5 billion decrease from the current level of funding. The White House budget proposed to crack down on “improper” unemployment insurance payments, claiming it will save as much as $536 per person. But it also puts various workplace training programs at risk…
Labor nominee Acosta questioned on his work record, plans for defending workers Chicago Tribune …Labor secretary nominee Alexander Acosta refrained on Wednesday from backing key Obama-era rules that have been in limbo since the election. Acosta, 48, would not say during his confirmation hearing whether he supported rules that would expand eligibility for overtime pay or restrict the advice given to retirement savers, citing orders from President Donald Trump to review and scale back regulations…
Employee burnout is becoming a huge problem in the American workforce Quartz …While companies are posting record profits, Americans are working harder than ever before for a nominal wage increase. The national unemployment rate has been cut in half since 2010 and the economy is projected to grow by almost 50% between 2010 and 2020. Despite this positive outlook, employees are overworked, burned out, and dissatisfied…
SOCIAL JUSTICE & OTHER NEWS
Schumer: Democrats will filibuster Gorsuch nomination Washington Post …Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch ended Thursday on a confrontational note, with the body’s top Democrat vowing a filibuster that could complicate Gorsuch’s expected confirmation and ultimately upend the traditional approach to approving justices. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said he will vote no on President Trump’s nominee and asked other Democrats to join him…
Grassroots Resistance Credited as Republicans Forced to Postpone AHCA Vote Common Dreams …Republican lawmakers on Thursday were met with a deluge of outrage and calls to stand against the American Health Care Act (ACHA) while the planned House vote was thrown into disarray as defections mounted. House Speaker Paul Ryan postponed a 3:30pm press conference shortly before it was reported that Thursday’s vote was cancelled after he and President Donald Trump held a series of meetings with GOP lawmakers to pressure the plan’s skeptics…
Trump Costs Struggling Retirement Savers Billions of Dollars American Prospect …Anew report published by the Economic Policy Institute argues that the delay of a Department of Labor retirement savings account conflict-of-interest rule will hit average Americans hard. Less than 15 days into his term, President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Labor to delay the implementation of this provision…
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims Not Reporting Crimes Because of Trump’s Deportation Policies TeleSUR …U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are preventing victims of sexual assault or domestic abuse from speaking out for fear of deportation. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck announced Tuesday that both reports of sexual assault and domestic violence by the city’s Latino residents have plummeted, with immigrants concerned they could be at risk for deportation if they interact with police or testify in court…
‘Earth is a planet in upheaval’: World Meteorological Organization issues dire climate warning Think Progress …Humanity is “now in truly uncharted territory,” thanks to CO2-driven climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned Tuesday. The WMO’s annual “State of the Global Climate in 2016” paints a dire picture for humanity: record CO2 levels, record warming, record drop in both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, and record high sea levels…